Medical Buddhism
I go over evidence-based techniques to help you make peace with your suffering.
Note: In this article, I use the term “woman” to refer to an individual’s sex. Individuals who have female anatomy at birth may choose to adopt a different gender identity.
The past week has been difficult for liberally-minded individuals in the United States. Through a series of Supreme Court rulings, citizens lost several fundamental rights. Miranda rights, mandating that those arrested are informed of their rights, and Roe v Wade, giving women freedom in their reproductive health choices, were both repealed. The latter is particularly troubling for me as a physician, given the substantial evidence of harm when women’s bodies are under the state’s control rather than a woman’s (read a detailed statement by the Journal of the American Medical Association here). Why would someone ignore clear evidence that something can overall improve the lives of citizens?
These next few years will see an increase in women dying from complications of forced pregnancies and poverty. Pregnancy can be hazardous for some women, such as those at risk of blood clots. Being prevented from having an abortion can leave a woman (and her fetus) vulnerable to permanent disability from a stroke and blood clot, even if put on anticoagulants. Women with chronic…
